Another point we may notice in this parable of Balaam's is, "Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee." This was to pronounce his own and Balak's judgment, for they sought to curse Israel, but they themselves would be cursed.
Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together and upbraided him; but Balaam reminded Balak that he told him when he came that he could not go beyond the word of the Lord. After this Balaam prepared to depart to his own land, but under the influence of the power of God he was made to give Balak one more parable. This one was of Israel's future glory and power, for out of Jacob a Star was to rise, and a Scepter out of Israel; "and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth... and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city." Num. 17-19.
It is thought that the wise men from the east that came to see the child Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 2, knew of this prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that they connected it with the bright star which they had seen. But that blessed One who came of Israel is yet to reign and put down all His enemies, and Israel shall be blessed under Him in that day.
There is much for our meditation in this last prophecy of Balaam's, for it looks forward to the end of this age, and the judgments that shall fall. In language descriptive of the Great Tribulation it says, "Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!" It also predicts that the last scourge of Israel (the Assyrian) will be afflicted by a Western maritime power, and then the Western power will perish (v. 24).
Thus we see that the enemy was merely used by God to bring out His own purposes of good toward Israel, looking to the' ultimate blessing 'Under the Messiah. All enemies will be subdued, and 'Christ will reign gloriously. How often we see that prophecy leads us on to the coming and reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is, alas, a melancholy turn in the account of the next chapter. The Israelites, those of whom all these blessings were described, began to intermingle with the Moabites, those enemies of God's people-those who sought to have them cursed.
"And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye everyone his men that were joined unto Baal-peor." Chap. 25:1-5.
Now connect this with a verse in Numbers 31:
"Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD." v. 16.
Here we see what Balaam's counsel was. This wicked man, a man whose eyes had been opened and willfully closed, when he saw that he could not curse the people, counseled Balak how to deceive them. What the enemy could not do with open assault, he would accomplish by stealth. This unfolds the true state of Balaam, for we might have hoped that he was changed by the revelations which he had. But the crafty man knew that if he could get the people to intermarry and then come to the idolatrous feasts, he would bring them down in their practice from the exalted place in which they stood, and then they would reap God's governmental dealings.
Now it is precisely here that we have to be on our guard. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, We are a people of God's choosing and blessing- a heavenly people too. But the enemy would tell us that it is not too bad if we mingle with the world, and join in its pursuits.
In the Lord's address to the church in Pergamos, we read, "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." This period of the Church's history, depicted by Pergamos, is that wherein the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, and the Church and the world formed an unholy alliance. There were some men who taught that this was not bad-but the Lord tells us it was the doctrine of Balaam. It is to tell the saints that there is nothing wrong in unholy association with the world. And it is on every hand today. It is the warp and woof of present-day Christendom.
How terribly sad it is when such bad counsel comes from the lips of true children of God. Some have openly advised young Christians to join fraternities and earthly societies of one kind and another, when God has said, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Through bad counsel, even from Christians, many dear young believers have kept company with unbelievers, only to end in an unholy marriage, a 'linking of light and darkness. Dear young Christian, please remember that all such counsel comes from the enemy of your soul; it has a deeper source than the lips of the one who gives it. And if you follow the counsel of Balaam, you will reap sore disappointment from the world, and the government of God in your life.
The devil can never frustrate the purposes of God to bless us. He can never keep us out of heaven, or take away one blessing which we have in Christ up there; but he can spoil your joy and mine, and ruin our testimony for the Lord, if we follow the counsel of Balaam. The word "fornication" in Revelation 2 has reference to an unholy alliance between the people of God and the world-a mixture of holy and unholy. Our happiness depends on walking in the good of all that God has given us. May the blessings bestowed on us, and the glories that await us, so captivate our hearts that the world will have no appeal to us. May the language of the hymn be the expression of our hearts:
"O worldly pomp and glory,
Your charms are spread in vain;
I've heard a sweeter story,
I've found a truer gain.
Where Christ a place prepareth,
There is my loved abode;
There shall I gaze on Jesus,
There shall I dwell with God."
Let us not trust in our own hearts, "for he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." Pro. 28:26. We have an old nature which is susceptible to the counsel of Balaam. And dear young Christians, beware of the little things. Great matters turn on little affairs. The bait may be small, but the hook is large. It is the small edge of the wedge that enters first. The enemy of our souls would like to draw us away from faithful devotedness to Christ, and he will use any means that he thinks will succeed.
There are many practical applications that could be made of shunning the counsel of Balaam. But we leave it to the reader to make his own application in the matters of his daily life. Anything that will draw you away from Christ in heart, anything that will make you compromise the truth, anything that is contrary to the Word of God—shun it. The world is more to be feared when it smiles on us than when it hates us. "The kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Perhaps the devil would dangle financial advantage, or social advance, or any one of a thousand things before your eyes. May God give the reader and the writer spiritual perception to see the tempter's hand in these offers, even though disguised like Jacob's when Isaac said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." Gen. 27:22.
There was One who trod this path before us who never wavered for an instant in faithful devotedness to His Father, and in entire separation from the scene through which He passed. He began and finished the path of faith in all perfection (Heb. 12:1). May we keep our eyes steadfastly on Him.
"O Lord, when we the path retrace
Which Thou on earth hast trod,
To man Thy wondrous love and grace,
Thy faithfulness to God;
"Thy love, by man so sorely tried,
Proved stronger than the grave;
The very spear that pierced Thy side
Drew forth the blood to save.
"Faithful amidst unfaithfulness,
'Mid darkness only light,
Thou didst Thy Father's name confess,
And in His will delight.
"Unmoved by Satan's subtle wiles,
Or suff'ring, shame, and loss,
Thy path, uncheered by earthly smiles,
Led only to the cross.
"We wonder at Thy lowly mind,
And fain would like Thee be,
And all our rest and pleasure find
In learning, Lord, of Thee."
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